Hinduism World Religions Chapter 3

There is only one God But endless are his aspects and endless are his names. Call him by any name and worship him in any aspect that pleases you, You are sure to see him. - Shri Ramakrishna, , esteemed holy man cf: The Spiritual Heritage of India

Hinduism claims about 800 million practitioners.

It is unique among the major world religions: it cannot be traced to any specific individual or historical event.

Because of this, it is seen as having some eternal essence, a religion that has existed forever.

It is the oldest of the living religious traditions, dating back at least 3,500 years.

Hinduism is a challenging term.

Yet, it has gained acceptance by those living in India and practicing Hinduism. The name comes from the Indus River.

Hinduism is not easily classified; It is not a religion in the Western sense like Christianity or Islam.

It is a diverse collection of beliefs, traditions, practices, and texts. But, this diversity itself reflects the worldview of Hinduism.

Diversity is also a hallmark of India, where Hinduism is rooted. India has over 1,000 languages, 20 of which have over one million speakers each. The country of India has 18 official languages. The official language of the federal government is…anyone? Anyone? Uttarakhand (Sanskrit= official language)

Throughout its development, Hinduism has revealed an inclusive approach: It has tended to stress convergence rather than suppression when encountering other faiths.

Brief history: 1)Indus Valley Civilization -One of the major early cultures of the world, settled along the Indus Valley region in modern day Pakistan 2500 BCE – 1500 BCE

It exceeded, at least geographically, the two other great civilizations – Egypt and Mesopotamia.

2) Aryan Settlement A group from the northwest – the Aryans – settled in India around 1500 BCE. It was most likely a gradual migration rather than a violent invasion.

The Aryans merged with the existing Indus Valley culture and contributed the following to it: - the Hindu pantheon* - language – Sanskrit

The Vedic Period “ Veda” comes from a Sanskrit word meaning knowledge. The Vedas were brought by the Aryans as oral tradition. The Vedas are the most ancient of the Hindu sacred scripture.

The Rig Veda is the oldest; it is a collection of 1,028 hymns. “God is one, but men call him by many names.”

The wisdom collected in the Vedas stretches from writings in the Rig Veda (1200 BCE) to the beginning of the 1 st and 2 nd century CE.

The Upanishads -A philosophical commentary appended to the Vedas between 800 and 300 BCE

The name Upanishads means “sitting at the feet of the master;” the texts are filled with the spiritual advice of the advanced mystics. The Upanishads set out the principle of reincarnation and the path out of the cycle of birth and death.

The Bhagavad-Gita Hinduism’s most popular sacred text part of the Hindu epic poem the Mahabharata In it, the god Krishna imparts to the warrior Arjuna spiritual wisdom in the eve of a crucial battle. Arjuna learns about dharma – what it means to do one’s duty. The Bhagavad-Gita is closely related to Bhakti Marga (path of devotion), the most emotional of the three paths to liberation.

The Hindu Worldview (p.45-46) It is vital to understand that the Hindu worldview is very different from the Western worldview..The Goal of Life is liberation from the constraints of the human condition: Moksha “The holy city of Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges, is difficult to reduce to words. Hindus revere it as the special home of the god Shiva, and insist that those who die within its precincts automatically secure moksha (liberation) from the cycle of rebirth.”

Reincarnation Hindus believe in reincarnation: that one is re-created into a new life after death. Hindus anticipate many lifetimes, so Hindus do not experience Moksha (liberation) in one lifetime.

Moksha is the experience of being reunited with the divine source. It is unlimited joy, being, and knowledge. Monism: All reality is one thing: All plants and animals, all material things, all gods and goddesses, and humans – are all share the same essence.